Work on the access roads has been completed: the bridge connecting Route 1 with Bulevar Artigas is now open.

The Ministry of Transportation and Public Works (MTOP) announced that as of this Friday, December 12, at 2:30 p.m., the bridge connecting Route 1 with Bulevar Artigas, which provides access to Montevideo, will be fully open. Now, those arriving from the west and wishing to enter the city will no longer have to take a detour, which was necessary in recent months while the work was being carried out. The bridge, which had been damaged in a traffic accident, connects Route 1 with Bulevar Artigas in the direction of entry. Below, via the passageway that was opened on November 24, Rambla Portuaria connects with Route 1 in the exit direction. "Work began on August 15, after the bridge was hit by a truck. Throughout this time, inter-institutional coordination took place between the MTOP, the Municipality of Montevideo, and the Highway Police to implement traffic and transport detours to speed up traffic entering Montevideo,“ the ministry reported. These repair works ”will allow for greater structural capacity, durability, construction efficiency, and safety." On July 14, a semi-truck broke the bridge by carrying a load that exceeded the maximum height. The truck was traveling along the port road leaving Montevideo and, “due to the excess height,” it hit the bridge and lost part of its load, which exceeded the permitted height. It also caused a support beam and a pillar to collapse, “causing structural damage” to the bridge, according to a July 14 report by the Highway Patrol. Three other vehicles were affected by the accident, but there was only material damage and no one was injured. The driver of one of the vehicles behind the truck recounted the incident: “We were driving and saw that the truck was taller than the height limit.” In an interview with Telemundo (Teledoce), he said that the truck first “hit the sign indicating the height limit” and then crashed into the bridge. “The structure collapsed,” he said, continuing, “We were behind it and slammed on the brakes. The shock of the moment lasted a few seconds, but we're fine. Thank God we got off lightly.”